Unless you are only ever planning to write one eBook and then go back to whatever life and job you already had, you will want to do whatever you can to build a loyal fan base so that selling subsequent eBooks is not as difficult as it might have been to sell the first. There are a number of ways to build a loyal fan base, but it all begins with having a way to capture the email address and name of each person so that you can keep in touch with them.
There are a number of email marketing services available, including AWeber, Constant Contact, and ViPlus, but MailChimp allows you to have up to 2,000 people on your list before they charge you to use their service, making it ideal for start-up indie authors. As well, MailChimp is versatile and highly compatible with WordPress. So how do you get people to sign up to be on your mailing list?
Building Your List
To build a list of loyal followers and fans, you need to provide an incentive to encourage them to sign up and give you their name and email address. Of course, capturing that information will do you no good if you plan to use it to harrass or spam the person, so be sure once you have their email address that you only send emails that matter - and promise them as much when they sign up.
Offering something free is a great incentive. Some people choose to offer their first eBook or short story for free to those who sign up; others offer early access to an upcoming eBook. Some even offer a special eBook that is only available to those who sign up.
Using Your List
Once you begin building a loyal fan base, keep in touch with them. Send regular updates that include information about what you're writing, news that matters, and even times and dates you'll be available for virtual chats. Enlist their help, but make it easy on them. Provide links that make it easy for them to review your eBooks, tweet about your sales, or share your website link on Facebook.
Do you have tips for building a loyal fan base? Share them with us!
